1. Chapter 1: People and the Government

2. Warm Up
List as many activities as you can in which government plays a role.

3. Section 1: Principles of Government
WHAT IS THE FUNCTION, FORM, AND ORIGIN OF GOVERNMENT?

4. States, countries, nations oh my!
Country & State are synonymous
State: political community that occupies a definite territory with an organized govt with power to make and enforce laws without the approval from a higher authority
Nation: an independent state/country bounded by race, lang, custom, tradition
Nation-state: territory of both a nation and state coincide
Ex: not all citizens of France are of French descent!

5. Features of a State! Population Territory Sovereignty Government
Must have land, established boundaries
Sovereignty
State has supreme and absolute authority within its territorial boundaries
Make laws and determine own actions
Government
Institution that keeps social order, provides services, and enforces decisions

6. Mommy, Where do States come from?
Evolutionary theory
State evolved from the family
Head of family was the authority that served as govt
Force theory
Early civilizations needed cooperation and came under the rule of the strongest person
Divine Right
God choose certain people to rule!
Social Contract Theory
Govt arose out of voluntary action!
Society is governed by a general will
Grew out of Enlightenment
Ex: Hobbes, Locke

7. Purposes of Government
Maintaining Social Order
Social contract theory: we need govt because we haven’t found ways to live without conflict!
Providing Public Services
Services that make life possible: sanitation, health, safety
Providing National Security
Govt protects citizens from attacks!
Making Economic Decisions
Ex: govt providing tax breaks

8. Section 2: The Formation of Government
IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THEIR FUNCTIONS, GOVERNMENTS ARE ORGANIZED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS

9. Governmental Systems Unitary Federal System
All key powers are given to a nat’l govt
Not necessarily 1 level of govt, but central govt is given all authority to create govts below it
Ex: Great Britain
Federal System
Division of power is between state and national govt

10. Constitutions and Govt
Constitutions are a plan that provide the rules for govt
Lays out ideas, sets structure and defines power/duties, provides for supreme law
Often incomplete guides because ideas change over time!

11. What’s Politics got to do with it?
Politics are the effort to control and influence the policies of govt
1st political argument was over ratification of the Constitution

12. Section 3: Types of Govt
WHO GOVERNS THE STATE?

13. Autocracies
Power is in the hands of a single individual and power is often maintained through military
Totalitarian dictatorships: single leaders ideas are glorified and control all aspects of life
Monarchy: a king/queen/or emperor has power that is usually inherited with absolute power
Constitutional monarchy: monarchs share power with a legislature or they serve as ceremonial leaders of govt

14. Oligarchies A small group holds power
Usually power comes from wealthy or military power

15. Democracy Rule is by the peeps! 2 forms
Direct democracy: peeps govern themselves by voting on issues as citizens
Representative/indirect democracy: citizens elect reps to vote on legislation
In a republic the voters are the source of govts authority
Requires citizen participation

16. Characteristics of Democracy
Individual liberty
Majority rule with minority rights
Govt decisions are based on majority rule but he Constitution protects the rights of the minority
Free elections
Competing political parties
PP’s: group of individuals with common interests who org to nominate candidates win elections, determine policy, etc

17. Elements that allow for Democracy
Active citizen participation
A favorable economy
Free enterprise: opportunity to control ones economic decisions provides a base for political decisions
Education
Strong civil society
Civil society: network of volunteer associations, economic groups, etc
Social Consensus
If peeps share same values on liberty/equality then democracy prospers!

18. Section 4: Economic Theories
NATIONS MUST DECIDE HOW RESOURCES ARE TO BE USED…

19. So what the heck is Economics?
Study of human efforts to satisfy the seemingly unlimited wants through the use of limited resources
Countries must make 3 decisions:
What /how much to produce?
How goods/services should be produced?
Who gets the goods/services produced?
Different economic systems answer these ?’s differently!

20. Capitalism (free enterprise)!
Private ownership and control of resources and property
Defined by a free market in which buyers and sellers make unlimited decisions
Father of capitalism is Adam Smith
Argued for a laissezz faire system: govt should keep their hands off the economy

21. Socialism Government:
owns the basic means of production
determines use of resources
distributes products/wages
provides social services
Democratic Socialism: calls for a peaceful change in improve economic condition
Govt control over basic means of production and makes most econ decisions

22. Communism
Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto concluded capitalism would collapse
Argued that the bourgeoisie abused the proletariat
Predicted a violent revolution to overthrow the bourgeoisie
Goal: govt ownership of production
Believed socialism would develop into communism: on class, property in common, no need for govt
Described as a command economy: govt planners make decisions and hand down to managers
State owns: land, resources, banks, transportation, communication…IMPACTS POLITICAL FREEDOM